Desert Blush Lemonade

Desert Blush Lemonade

A few posts ago I talked about some cactus pears that I ordered from Melissa's online produce company. Never had them before so I wasn't sure what to do with them; for some reason the first thing I thought of was making them into a drink. Was originally thinking some sort of mocktail but then Alexandra mentioned having a cactus pear lemonade in New Mexico once, and that just sounded delicious so I had to try it out. Came out yummy and refreshing, and it put me on kind of a lemonade roll now. Thinking of doing a watermelon lemonade next...

Desert Blush Lemonade
Serves 2-3

• 1/2 cup cactus pear juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
• 3 cups sparkling water (or plain water)

Directions:

For the cactus pear juice: use a sharp knife to cut and peel cactus pears; discard the peels. Place fruits in food processor and puree. Use a fine mesh sieve to strain out and discard seeds.

Combine cactus pear juice and sugar in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and pour into a clean container. Let cool until just warm, then chill in fridge.

Once the cactus pear syrup is cold, combine 1/2 cup syrup, lemon juice, and sparkling water. Taste and add more syrup or water to taste. Serve over ice.